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Slippery rOck Gazette OctOber 2020|25
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Three Things I Wish Customers Knew About Natural Stone
Continued from page 19
Therefore, it is paramount that during the selection pro- cess with your fabricator that you examine the material not only for color and pattern, but look across the surface at low angles to see all its sur- face characteristics. Insist that your fabricator move slabs to better lighting if you cannot reasonably accomplish this.
Some clients assume that the stone will be sealed, and the sealer will “fill” these nat- ural voids in the stone, mak- ing the surface “as smooth as glass.” Again, wishful and uninformed thinking on the part of the consumer. Stone sealer is an impregnating pro- cess, designed to penetrate into the pores of the stone, not to fill voids and coat the surface.
3: Perfection does not exist in our world.
Even the most beautiful natural stone will have some- thing that someone will per- ceive as a “flaw” if they go looking for it. So many clients
come to a stone showroom armed with magazine pictures of their ideal kitchen. Mind you, many of these projects are professionally photographed, beautifully lighted and touched up in Photoshop to create a flawless glossy image. In ad- dition to that, they have the visual advantage of distance. Viewing a natural stone proj- ect as a whole, appreciating the design and the thought that went into creating the perfect space is infinitely different from scrutinizing every square inch of a stone surface in per- son. I can absolutely guaran- tee that perfect picture you’re holding will have a few “sins” if you were there personally looking for them.
Even the world’s most
beautiful supermodels sans makeup and Photoshop will reveal themselves as all too human, and natural stone is no different.
To sum it up, there are so many reasons to use natural stone in your project. For a successful installation, remember that the surface character is as important as the color, and always work with a fabricator with a clear and open line of com- munication to get that stone through the process profes- sionally if and when delays should occur. You will be enjoying the stone for years to come, a small delay now would be better than living with quality issues because the project was pushed through to meet an arbi- trary schedule.
Joey Marcella has spent thirty years in the stone industry as the President of Mario & Son, a natural stone fabricator in Liberty Lake, Washington.
Additionally, Marcella is the Executive Director of the Stone Fabricators Alliance, as well as Stone World Magazine’s Fabricator of the Year, the Natural Stone Institute’s Craftsman of the Year, and the Grande Pinnacle award recipient for 2018. Visit www.marioandson. com and facebook.com/ marioandsonmarble/.
Even the most beau- tiful natural stone will have something that someone will perceive as a “flaw” if they go looking for it.
Photos (3) Courtesy of Mario and Son